THE SLAMERS

Cru is always very careful to monitor what is going on in the world before sending staff and students overseas. That has especially been the case during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two weeks ago our national leaders gave the green light for us to move forward on all the planning our team leaders have done for their international trips! Teams going to places like Croatia, Montenegro, and Costa Rica, can now begin to book flights and pursue visas. Some other countries will require a little more of a process, but are still very likely to be given the green light shortly. Praise God for this answer to prayer!

Students continue to apply for our 70 trips happening this summer (about 40 domestic and 30 international). As of April 27th we had 1,096 accepted participants, 73 ready applications, and 56 recently submitted!

While Scott’s teammate Amy, will be busy helping teams to book flights, and obtain visas, Scott continues to work with team leaders through some of the team dynamics of a COVID-19 pandemic. The most common question he has received these past weeks, has been how to lead their teams through different sensitivities to COVID-19 and the vaccination. Not easy issues! But there are Christ-centered ways to navigate them. Thank you for joining with us to help fulfill the Great Commission in sending college students on mission this summer! 

Praise & Prayer Requests!

Praise God that international travel is opening up as many countries are seeing a drop in COVID-19!

Pray for final details to fall into place for our 70 Summer Missions which will begin in May.

Pray for Scott as he takes the Spring and Summer to update the National Summer Assignment Process he leads.

Family Request: Please pray for us personally to end the kids’ school year well, especially all the preparation for Sarah’s high school graduation!

Over 100 students have been applying each week since the beginning of February, for our 70 planned Summer Mission Trips! Right now we have 1,786 Summer Mission applicants in our system, and 618 accepted! If all the students who are ready for application review right now end up accepted, we would already be well over 800 students for this summer…and it is still March!

This has been super encouraging for us coming out of a very challenging year, into a summer with many unknowns. Budgeting for these trips is very difficult when you have to plan for potential quarantine or isolation situations. But, team leaders are dong it! One team even said that if they had to reduce the number of students on their trip to comply with regulations, “we would raise support to keep the same prices for students.” (emphasis mine) What a generous, missionary heart!

We have never seen the amount of collaboration and communication that we have this year among our team leaders and across domestic and international mission trips. When a location cannot host a team because of COVID-19 restrictions, they have connected with other teams in different locations to reroute or join together.

Scott has been helping to approve Summer Mission contingency plans, develop crisis protocol for our trips, guide team leaders as they make decisions about accepting students to their mission, and ensuring teams are fully staffed.

Thank YOU for praying and funding all we are doing to see more and more college students sent out to make Jesus known among the nations! 

Praise & Prayer Requests!

Family Requests:

Please pray for our family to enjoy the last few months of Sarah’s senior year (and of Becky homeschooling her). Also, for Sarah as she solidifies her next steps!

Winter Conference is a gathering of college students experiencing Jesus, growing together in our faith, and discovering our place in the mission of God.  While historically Winter Conference happens every year in multiple conference centers and ballrooms across the nation, this year it looked a bit different. On February 5 and 6, college students from Hawaii to Maine, from Florida to Alaska, gathered together for a special weekend in order to encounter Jesus.  Students connected virtually to one live national broadcast from their living room, dorm room, church building, parent’s basement, or backyard. While it was a step into the unknown to host the conference like this, God moved in powerful ways!

6,292 students attended to understand and consider God’s Character, God’s Heart and God’s Call. The speakers lifted our eyes to consider the beauty, mercy, and grace of Jesus. They helped us to see the urgency of sharing with those around us. And they challenged us to discover our place in the mission of God in proclaiming the gospel to others.  Here are a couple stories:

“I’ve had multiple friends on my heart that I’ve been praying for and desiring to share the gospel with. They’re unbelievers… After attending the conference, I feel much more equipped and on-fire to share my faith and approach them in a conversation.” —Kellen, University of Idaho freshman

After learning how to disciple and mentor others to multiply his spiritual impact, Zeke, a freshman at Asbury University, challenged five Christian friends to grow in their faith together. They’ve already begun meeting to learn how they can share the good news of Jesus with others!

We rejoice for the awesome ways God is at work in students’ lives. He is changing hearts and raising up lifelong laborers for the Kingdom of God. Thank you so much for your partnership, your prayers, and your generosity that make that possible!

Praise & Prayer Requests!

Family Requests:

Please pray for us personally to have His endurance, wisdom, and creativity in ministry, homeschool, and life. May we choose to see His goodness every day!

January 11-14, Scott’s team (the Mission Trip Team) hosted a digital conference to train and prepare 200 leaders for over 70 Summer Missions we have planned this year. With COVID restrictions slowly lifting in various places around the globe, we are confident many of our Summer Missions will happen in person. But careful planning still needs to happen to keep students safe if restrictions change as we near trip start dates. Pray with us as these leaders makes plans and prepare for supernatural ministry, along with unique challenges. 

Scott Celebrates 20 Years with Cru!

In December, Scott celebrated 20 years on staff with Cru! God has given him incredible opportunities to minister to college students around the world during that time. We are so thankful for the many friends and family who have partnered with us on the journey!

Praise & Prayer Requests!

• Praise God for over 200 Cru staff who are trusting God to lead students on mission trips this summer!
• Pray for Summer Mission Team Leaders as they prepare plans for several contingencies for their trips all over the world.
• Our upcoming “Digital Winter Conference”, February 5-6. Over 3,000 students are already registered. Pray they will encounter God and grow closer to Him. http://www.cru.org/winterconference

Family Requests:

• Please pray that we would draw on His Spirit for the strength and wisdom required to do life, ministry, and homeschool in this season.
• Please pray for creativity to make Sarah’s senior year special and for the Lord to direct her next steps! 

“…we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen, for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

2 Corinthians 4:18 

As we approach the end of 2020, the Thanksgiving season has caused us to pause and reflect. There has been much hardship and suffering this year. God’s hand has still been very evident in our own lives and ministry. We wanted to share with you a few unexpected ways we are seeing God work in 2020! What a great reminder that He has a bigger picture that we can not see. 

Geographic boundaries have been eliminated in ministry! 

Students from East Asia and the Middle East were able to attend our Summer of Theology cours-es. Our Inland Empire team here in SoCal, hosted an online event with students from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and even San Francisco. In the Sacramento area, 19 students and Cru staff have been connecting with 42 Central Asian students. This happened through a Facebook ad for students to practice their English with Americans. As they practice their English, gospel topics come up, and these American students and staff have the opportunity to share the gospel! 

The rise to prominence of digital media, has caused more college students to step up into ministry. 

“Millennials” and “Gen Z” students are “digital natives” and are often the ones teaching us how to best leverage digital platforms for ministry. Again, in the Inland Empire, students have reached out to thousands of new and returning students this Fall via Instagram! 

Lastly, and certainly not least, we are overwhelmed by YOU! 

Your faithful gifts, prayers, and encouragement to us and our ministry have been incredible! We thank God for you!